HQ Team
September 23, 2026: Novo Nordisk A/S or Novo, has partnered with UNICEF to expand their global partnership for four years to fight childhood overweight and obesity, and the Danish company has committed $18 million until 2030.
The pact aims to reach 80 million children worldwide. Novo’s funds will advance evidence-based policies and prevention services in seven priority countries. The expansion arrives at a turning point in global child health as childhood obesity has now surpassed underweight globally for the first time on record, according to UNICEF’s 2025 Child Nutrition Report.
From 2026 to 2030, the partnership will support governments in creating environments that make healthier options more accessible to children and families—from the food offered and promoted to children to the schools, cities, and health services they rely on every day, according to a statement from Novo.
“It is concerning that childhood obesity has surpassed underweight, affecting one in 10 school-aged children and adolescents globally,” said Kitty van der Heijden, Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships, UNICEF.
“The moment to act is now. Through our partnership with Novo, UNICEF will work with governments to turn evidence into policies, build services, and create environments that protect children early, so every child has a fair chance to eat well, move, feel supported and grow up healthy,” she said.
Ultra-processed foods
Globally, one in five children and adolescents aged 5–19 (391 million youth) live with overweight, and 163 million live with obesity. Among children under five, 25.5 million (5%) are affected by overweight, according to the UNICEF report on child nutrition.
Low- and Middle-income nations account for the steepest increases and 81% of the global burden, as cheap and heavily marketed ultra-processed foods replace traditional diets. About 60% of adolescents consume sweet items daily.
Another 32% drink soft drinks and 25% consume salty processed food daily. At the same time, 75% of youth are exposed to junk food advertising, accessible through social and digital media.
Childhood obesity dramatically elevates the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and mental health issues. The global economic cost of obesity is projected to surpass $4 trillion annually by 2035.
Policy advocacy
“Preventing childhood obesity requires long-term, collective action to create healthier environments for children,” said Elin Jäger, SVP, chief of staff and head of CEO Office, Corporate Strategy and Sustainability, Novo.
“Through our continued partnership with UNICEF, we want to support proven prevention approaches that can become part of the systems children rely on every day, helping create healthier environments for more than 80 million children,” she said.
Since 2019, Novo and UNICEF have helped raise childhood overweight and obesity from an under-recognised issue to a growing global policy and public health priority.
Building on this foundation, the next phase of the partnership will deepen efforts in existing countries and expand to new contexts, combining evidence-based policy advocacy, technical assistance, youth-led advocacy and peer support, and social and behaviour change communication, according to the Novo statement.
The expanded programme will support action in Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Egypt and Kenya, while accelerating learning across regions.
Counselling
It will include monitoring growth, nutrition and physical activity counselling, peer and family support, and community- and facility-based prevention activities, basic mental health screening and support.
Success will be measured by the number of children reached by evidence-based prevention policies and interventions. Progress and challenges will be reported transparently.
Delivery will be country-led and anchored in UNICEF’s Centres of Excellence model, led from Nairobi with satellite support in Bangkok and Panama.
Novo (legal name: Novo Nordisk A/S), a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company, is headquartered in Bagsværd. Novo manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services, primarily diabetes and obesity medications and devices. The corporation was created in 1989 through a merger of two Danish companies in the 1920s.
